Israel’s Ben-Gvir storms Al-Aqsa Mosque again to mark East Jerusalem occupation

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir forced his way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday to mark Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem.

A video showed Ben-Gvir raising the Israeli flag and dancing with a group of right-wing occupiers, with the Dome of the Rock mosque in the background.

Ben-Gvir staged a similar incursion into the mosque on Sunday, accompanied by occupiers, and performed Talmudic prayers within its courtyards.

Another footage showed Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer from Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party also storming the mosque and raising the Israeli flag.

An official with the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Anadolu that 620 Israeli occupiers stormed the mosque on Thursday under police protection.

According to Israeli media, about 50,000 occupiers plan to hold a flag march through East Jerusalem on Thursday to celebrate the city’s occupation in 1967. This march is often accompanied by attacks on Palestinian property and chants of "Death to Arabs."

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed occupiers to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound daily, except Fridays and Saturdays.

Israeli occupiers stormed the mosque 30 times in April, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs.

Palestinians say Israel has intensified efforts for decades to Judaize East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, citing international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.

*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul